Where was Banksy’s 2008 Cans Festival held?

Banksy’s 2008 Cans Festival was held on Leake Street in London.

The event took place in a road tunnel beneath Waterloo railway station. Banksy invited stencil artists from around the world to create work in the tunnel, turning a previously drab passage into an open-air street-art gallery. The name was a play on the Cannes Film Festival, replacing “Cannes” with “Cans” to emphasize spray paint and aerosol art.

Leake Street is now widely associated with graffiti and street art. Unlike a conventional gallery, the tunnel allowed artists to work directly on public walls, and visitors could watch the changing display. Much of the artwork was temporary and was eventually painted over or replaced.

The festival is sometimes confused with Banksy’s later exhibitions or with London’s Brick Lane scene. Brick Lane is another important street-art location, but the 2008 Cans Festival took place specifically in the Leake Street tunnel.